In 2022, the Jacksonville Jaguars won the AFC South just a year removed from finishing in fourth. In 2023, the Houston Texans did the same.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis believes his team has what it takes to be the next to make a dramatic turnaround.
"Yeah, I mean, that's our goal," Levis said Wednesday, . "It's crazy to think how our division has gone from a second thought in the league to now one of the most competitive, exciting, young divisions. We know what it's going to take because of that now.
"The NFL is the NFL because anyone can win on any day, and we understand that. As much as people like to believe we're not going to be worth anything this year, we're going out there, not necessarily to prove them wrong, but to prove ourselves right and show people what we're about."
The Titans finished fourth in the AFC South last year behind a 6-11 record, with the campaign being marked by quarterback uncertainty which saw veteran Ryan Tannehill start the season as the QB1 before being usurped by Levis halfway through.
The 2023 No. 33 overall pick showed flashes of promise in his nine games, namely a four-touchdown performance against the Falcons in his first start, and a comeback effort against the Dolphins in Week 14. But his overall statistics -- 1,808 passing yards, eight touchdowns, four interceptions, a 58.4 completion percentage and a 3-6 record -- leave significant room for improvement in his second year at the helm.
In that effort to progress both as an individual and as a team, Levis will have the advantage of going through the whole offseason program knowing he's the starter, giving him both more reps and a different mindset than he had as a backup rookie QB.
"I think just having a year of being the guy and going through all the spring and OTA periods stuff of being the starter, and really taking the bull by the horns, has been big for me -- as opposed to last year waiting around, waiting for an opportunity, and jumping in midway through the season," Levis said. "Having a full offseason and now a full training camp, I'm really, really excited getting the ball rolling and developing as a player and a leader."
The Titans have also made efforts to build up the offense around their young signal-caller. They already had DeAndre Hopkins, and added both Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd in free agency to give the WR corps some more power. Add on veteran running back Tony Pollard to fill the hole left by Derrick Henry's departure and rookie offensive tackle JC Latham to help fortify the line, and this offense looks to be in a relatively good spot heading into training camp.
And of course, Levis will be under the tutelage of new head coach Brian Callahan, who helped develop Joe Burrow into a top QB when Callahan served as the Bengals' offensive coordinator.
Whether these changes are enough for the Titans to become the latest AFC South team to go worst-to-first remains to be seen, with the next step in preparing for the journey ahead coming when the team reports to training camp on July 23.
